Cargo Cult - Who is John Frum? He is known to us by many names, this Visitor from Elsewhere, dispenser of endless abundance and wielder of mysterious technologies: John Frum, Quetzalcoatl, Osiris, "Bob." His cargo is splendid, his generosity boundless, his motives beyond our understanding. But across the ages and around the world, the stories all agree: one day he will return, bearing great gifts. Our theme this year asks three related questions; who is John Frum, where is he really from, and where, on spaceship Earth, are we all going?

It can be said, the John Frum movement began as opposition to the harmful mythology of Christianity. Perhaps the practitioners share in the irony, as did the Bokononists in Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. The John Frum movement seeks a return to "kustom", rejecting the influence of Christian missionaries that descended upon them during colonial rule. Christianity has led to recent violence on the island, as followers of Prophet Fred seek to eliminate the heresy of John Frum. Prophet Fred is a charlatan who won over a village by 'predicting' the collapse of a delicate natural structure. He preaches Christ's return, which is two millennium overdo, while mocking the hopes of John Frum's return. How I would love to prove him wrong with a grand exhibition of modern generosity, ala cargo!

As Christians made a holiday of the Pagan New Year (April Fools Day), February 15th can become an atheist holiday, recognizing the absurdity of religion while practicing generosity without the hope of heavenly rewards.

I think Cargo Cult really opens up Burning Man to a mutitude of options artistically and culturally, even by re-evaluating Theme Camp structures and their environments.It is more than just a discussion of American colonialism, it is about society and our ability to idolise people, objects and mysticism to live a more fulfilled life.

How quickly we can create a cult and be drawn into the hypeHow quickly we can change the facts to suit our needs and desire to believeHow we ultimately want to belong to a movement, no matter how absurd it may appear to those outside of it

Its more in tune with Burning Man and the 10 principles than many previous themes were, and it excites me to be honest

Yes indeed I agreejust worked out how to answer the questionnaire for volunteer "Feedback" To me the theme is the essence of the principleswe do carry Burning Man in the pockets of our cargo pantshopefully filling them well

Yes, my googling finger is intact. I don't even need to use it, I read the article this morning. Nonetheless, especially with those capital letters, I got a feeling of well, what else could it be, and ran with it.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri